Tremie pipe construction



Feb. 12, 1957 M. SILVYERT TREMIE PIPE CONSTRUCTION Filed April 28, 1953 INII/ENTOR. Mac 5/ veri ATTORA/E' V5 United States Patent F PIPE CONSTRUCTION Mac Silvert, San Franciscm Calif.

ApplicationApril 28, 1953,581i3LNO. 351,712

4'Claims. "(over- 6s This invention relates generally to methods for the pouring of tremie concrete, or other discrete material,

to apparatus' for using suchmet'hods. Conventional equipment for the placement of tremie concrete employsa vertical pipe having a=hopper at-its upper end into which 'the'wet concrete mixisintroduced.

At t the "beginning of the pour the lower open end of the pipe'is positioned-near the bottomof theconfined space to be ifilled, and as the level o'f the -*poured :'concrete 'ri'ses above the lower end of the pipefthe pipe' 'is gradually elevated while introduction of concrete continues. -This method necessitates a continual change 1 in "the I elevation of the hopper at the uppercnd ofthe pipe. Where the depth of a the space to be poured is such as to require a tremie pipe of considerable length, which is elevated a comparable amount during thepour, elaborate equipment must housed for elevating*ariddntroduingthemix into the hopper. Curtis,"'2,562,4l6 disoloses a tremie pipe havingprovision for detachably securing a-.-hopper at various points along thelength of the tremie pipe. Such an arrangement simplifies pouring operations, but likewise involves some vertical movement of the hopper as the pipe is raised, and furthermore it requires a pipe having special side openings to which the hopper can be coupled.

In general it is an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus of the above character, making possible the pouring of tremie concrete or other discrete material from a fixed platform, without special means for elevating the mix to diflerent levels.

Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus and method of the above character making possible the use of a fixed hopper for receiving the concrete mix or other material while permitting continuous elevation of the tremie pipe.

Another object of the invention is to provide a method and an apparatus of the above character which will greatly facilitate the pouring of tremie concrete or other discrete material, and which will require a minimum of interruption to pouring operations.

Additional objects of the invention will appear from the following description in which the preferred embodiment of the invention has been set forth in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawing.

Referring to the drawing:

Figure 1 is a side view, illustrating apparatus incorporating the present invention.

Figure 2 is a view like Figure l, but showing the parts in a dilferent operating position.

Figure 3 is a view like Figure l and showing the parts in a third operating position.

Figure 4 is a cross sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a cross sectional view taken along the line 55 of Figure 4.

The apparatus illustrated in the drawing consists of a vertical pipe which is of sufficient length to extend down to the bottom of the space to be poured. At some 2,780,920 Patented Feb. .12, 1-957 convenient elevation above the upper end of the pipe 10 there is .a pouringplatform 11, and at a level distance below the platform 11, thereis a workingplatform -12. v.An opening 13 is .shown in .theplatform .12 for accomxmodating thev pipe 10. .A hopper 14 is-fixed to the platform .11, and receives the concrete mix or other material to be poured.

Aconsiderable length of thegpipeltlconsists of thepipe :sections 10a, 10b, 10c, 10:], 10c, which are detachably .secured together bysuitable coupling means 16, suchas conventional bolted flanges.

Each pipe section is of a length somewhat less than the distance between thelower-end of the hopper 14 and :the platform 12. vA .siniilar coupling .17 connects the lower discharge end of hopper 14 to the conduit section 13. .Thisconduitsection isof aalength substantially the same, orslightly less, than the length of the pipe sections 10a-10e,.and is illustrated in Figure 1. Itslidably and telescopically-fits withinthe uppermost pipe section 1 3a.

:Suitable means is-provided for supporting and elevating-the pipe 10.a-s the pouring proceeds. For this purpose I have shown a cable 19,which is wound upon the winch '20. -The lower-.endof thisccable isattached by a sling 21 .to apoint along the-length of the .pipe 1-0 which is well below .the: platform 12.

Operation of my 'apparatusis as follows: .Assuming that .the pipe ltlextends to the bottom of through the pipe to be deposited in the space to be filled.

-As the elevation-of the-,poured concrete rises about the lowertendofthepipe,thepipe is elevated by operationor" :the winch 20,-whereby.its-1ower.end is. maintained at an optimum depth below the level of the poured concrete. When the uppermost pipe Section lila has been fully telescoped over the conduit 18, pouring is temporarily interrupted, while the conduit 18 is being uncoupled from the hopper, and pipe section 10a uncoupled from the next lower section 10b. When these parts have been uncoupled the conduit and top section 10a are removed as a unit (see Figure 2) and then the same or a substitute conduit 18 reapplied to the hopper. Immediately after reapplyingthe conduit 18 to the hopper 14, the pipe 10 is elevated a small amount to again telescope the conduit 18 with pipe section 10b, and then the pouring proceeds in the same manner as previously described. When pipe section 10b is fully telescoped with the conduit 18, these parts are uncoupled in the same manner as previously described, with the conduit 18 telescoped with the section 100. It will be evident that by repeating these operations the tremie pipe can be elevated any desired amount while the pouring proceeds without interruption, except for the short interval required to uncouple the conduit and the uppermost pipe section, and for reapplying the same or a like conduit 18 to the hopper.

It will be apparent that the apparatus and method described above has many advantages over conventional equipment and methods. No equipment is required to lift the mix to various elevations for introduction into the hopper 14. Because the hopper remains stationary at all times, simple equipment, such as hand carts or a conveyor, can be used for introducing the mix. While pouring is proceeding the tremie pipe can be elevated continuously to maintain the lower end of the pipe at an optimum depth below the level of the poured concrete. The tremie pipe does not require side openings but may be simple pipe sections of conventional construction, coupled together to form a tremie pipe of any desired length.

While the invention has been described as particularly applicable to the pouring of a wet concrete mix, it can be used to advantage for the handling and placement of other discrete materials or mixes, such as sand and the like.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for the placement of tremie concrete or other discrete material comprising a hopper adapted to be carried by a fixed support and serving to receive a concrete mix, a working platform disposed below the hopper, a pipe extending downwardly from the hopper and past the working platform, an upper portion of the pipe comprising a plurality of detachable sections, the length of each section being less than the vertical distance between the upper end of the hopper and the working platform, and a conduit detachably secured to the lower end of the hopper and extending downwardly into telescopic engagement with the uppermost one of said pipe sections, the uppermost pipe section together with said conduit being removable as a unit.

2. Apparatus for the placement of tremie concrete or other discrete material comprising a pouring platform, a hopper fixed with respect to the pouring platform and adapted to receive a concrete mix, a working platform disposed below the pouring platform, a pipe extending downwardly from the hopper and past the working platform, an upper part of the pipe comprising a plurality of detachable pipe sections each of said sections having a length less than the vertical distance between the working platform and the lower end of the hopper, and a conduit detachably secured to the lower discharge end of the hopper and fitted telescopically within the'uppermost pipe section, said conduit together with said uppermost pipe section being removable as a unit from the hopper and pipe respectively, thereby enabling raising the pipe into telescopic engagement withanother like conduit attached to the hopper.

3. Apparatus for the placement of tremie concrete or other discrete material comprising a pouring platform, a hopper fixed with respect to the pouring platform and adapted to receive a concrete mix, a working platform disposed below the pouring platform, a pipe extending downwardly from the hopper and past the working platform, an upper part of the pipe comprising a plurality of pipe sections detachably and rigidly secured together at their adjacent ends, each of said sections having a length less than the vertical distance between the working platform and the lower end of the hopper, and a conduit having its upper end detachably and rigidly secured to the lower discharge end of the hopper and fitted telescopically within the upper pipe section, said conduit together with said upper pipe section being removable as a unit from the hopper and pipe respectively, thereby enabling raising the pipe into telescopic engagement with another like conduit attached to the hopper.

4. A method for the pouring of tremie concrete or other discrete material characterized by the use of apparatus as defined in claim 1; comprising continually introducing a concrete mix into the hopper whereby the mix flows down through the pipe for discharge at the lower end thereof, continually raising the pipe while the pouring proceeds, whereby said conduit gradually telescopes into the uppermost section of the pipe, interrupting introduction of the mix into the hopper when the conduit is substantially completely telescoped within the uppermost section, removing the conduit from the hopper and the uppermost pipe section from the remainder of the piping, applying another conduit to the hopper, elevating the pipe whereby the next pipe section is brought into telescopic engagement with the conduit, and then continuing the introduction of concrete mix into the hopper with further continual elevation of the pipe as the pouring proceeds.

References Cited in the file of this patent FOREIGN PATENTS 501,636 France of 1920 

